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At a school known more for its Nobel Prize winners, it’s easy for athletes–even Olympians–to get overshadowed. But the Institute's Olympic history dates back to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

According to research compiled by the Alumni Association, at least 35 MIT alumni representing 12 countries have qualified for or participated in 11 sports at 28 Olympic Games. MIT's alumni Olympians have won three gold, five silver, and five bronze medals. Click on the infographics below for more details then scroll down to see the full list of alumni Olympians.

American fencer Joseph Levis '26 was MIT's first multiple medal winner, winning the silver medal in men's individual foil and the bronze medal in men's team foil in 1932. His son, Roberto Levis '64, fenced for Puerto Rico at the 1972 games.

American speed skater Jordan Malone '18 (pictured) is also a double medalist, having won bronze (2010) and silver (2014) before matriculating to MIT in 2015.

Steve Tucker '91

Erland Van Lidth De Jeude '77

Nancy Vespoli SM '79

USA

Rowing

Moscow, 1980

Herb Voelcker '48

USA

Shooting
Men's Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 meters

Melbourne, 1956

Andrew Weaver MArch '86

USA

Cycling
Men's 100 Kilometers (Bronze Medal)

Los Angeles, 1984

This list includes MIT alumni who were Olympic alternates and alumni who were members of the 1980 US team, which did not participate in the games that year. MIT's alumni Olympic records may be inexact. If there is alumnus Olympian that is not included in the list, notify us in the comments below, Facebook, or Twitter.

Update: This story was originally published in July 2012 and was updated in 2016 and 2018.

Nice article, Jay. Would also have been nice to see Henry Steinbrenner's name mentioned in the article. He is on the MIT full list of Olympians, though his class year ('27) is missing. I had the pleasure of meeting Henry at an alumni reunion in Boston the weekend Steinbrenner Stadium was being dedicated, in 1978. Had a great conversation with him that day!

Here's an article from 1996:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1996/olymp1896-curtis.html

You may want to consider finding stories from The Tech at the time these men and women participated in the Olympics and update your 2014 article with those links.

Look for me, Gwendolyn Sisto SM 2010, in 2016 in women's weightlifting. I competed at the 2010 World University Championships, while a student at MIT. I placed in the top 3 63kg women at the 2012 US National Championships (fun fact: My results at the 2012 National Championships would have placed me 9th at the Olympics, which is higher than 2/3's of the team that the USA fielded in London for weightlifting).

Apologies for the oversight. Accumulating a comprehensive list of MIT alumni who have competed in the Olympics is an inexact science! We will updated accordingly and your name to our ever-growing list. Thank you--Jay London

Olympic alternates proved especially tricky to confirm. Since they did not compete, this is no record of their participation. In Van Lidth De Jeude's case, we relied on a variety of sources, most notably a 1979 article in Sports Illustrated and a 1981 article in People magazine, both of which mention his Olympic participation.

Thank you for reading and please let me know if you have any additional Olympic alumni.

Thanks for your note. We do have Mr. Steinbrenner on our list but did not outright mention him in the story because it's been difficult to determine which events he participated in. Some articles reference his competition in the 220-yard hurdles but that event has never been contested in the Olympics. Also, there is no mention in any archived <em>Tech</em> articles or in Mr. Steinbrenner's <em>New York Times</em> obituary about his Olympic participation. The website www.sports-reference.com/olympics does not have him listed as a U.S. Olympian.

However, there are multiple articles that mention his Olympic participation, including the MIT News article that you reference. For that reason, we have kept him on our list. (I will add his graduation year.) Hopefully, we will find out more information about Mr. Steinbrenner's participation. Olympic records, especially in the early days, are very spotty, and we're working to find out more information. Thank you for reading and please let me know if you come across any additional MIT alumni Olympians!

Hello - Gary Piantedosi '76 and John Everett '76 are listed in the MIT Olympic History graph that we link to in the second paragraph. Thanks again! It was a tough list to collect, as there is no master database of MIT alumni Olympians.

Perhaps as a footnote, we should add that Oscar Hedland, MIT Track and Field Coach in the 1950's, though not an alumnus, was an Olympic miler.....ran in the 1922 Olympics, or sometime about then. He was a fine coach.
Joe Davis
Class of '61, Hurdles and High Jump

Also, the myth in the MIT weight room at the time was that the bent bar in the corner was left behind by Chris Taylor, Wrestling 1976. However, I can't find any historical information stating that he attended MIT. Perhaps you can look through MIT records to see if he was in fact, most likely, a graduate student.

Great article on MIT Olympians! I first met Jordan Malone '18 when he came to train with us (Southern California Speed Skating Association) around 2002. I am a skater, coach, and administrator with the SCSSA (1984-present). I also helped him navigate the MIT admissions process after he retired from international competition in 2014. I see there are mixed references to his sport as both short track speed skating and speed skating. His sport is in fact short track speed skating. I see a speed skating logo in the 2014 By The Numbers chart, but not short track speed skating. I don't know if the chart has been updated since then.

If you are still tracking MIT Olympians, or have developed the MIT Olympians database you previously mentioned, please update to reflect his sport.

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Motivated by her experience as an underprepared undergrad, Niaja Nichole Farve SM '12, PhD '16 started a non-profit to help prepare underrepresented and underserved communities get the research needed to succeed in STEM careers.